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Taut and thrilling, well-acted and compelling'Proof of Life' will hold you hostage
(CNN) -- "Proof of Life" is a good, old-fashioned Hollywood action/adventure flick, one that opens with a bang and a boom and never lets up. It nails you to your seat from the opening scene to the final reel. The movie stars Meg Ryan, who has dropped (temporarily, at least) her well-polished "America's sweetheart/queen of the romantic comedy" image to deliver a well-crafted, understated dramatic performance. This fast-paced thriller from director Taylor Hackford also stars newly minted superstar Russell Crowe. His work appears effortless, and his bedrock sense of masculinity, combined with his working-class, antihero persona, is reminiscent of Robert Mitchum in his prime. The film derives its name from a 1998 Vanity Fair magazine article which explored the world of international terrorist groups that have turned to kidnapping to support their political agendas or illegal activities. Kidnappers' victims of choice are executives working for international companies operating in Third World countries. That has created a new counter-industry, companies specializing in "K & R" (kidnap and ransom) insurance. Their ranks are filled with FBI, Interpol, CIA operatives and others who find the post-Cold War world boring. One the first things a "K & R" specialist asks kidnappers is proof that a hostage is alive -- hence, the film's title. KidnappedCrowe plays Terry Thorne, a former member of the British Army's special services and one of the best of this brand-new band of mercenaries. An Australian living in London, Thorne has a broken marriage and a 13-year-old son he hardly knows. A professional negotiator, he's closed off emotionally, and has retreated into a job that routinely endangers his life.
On the other side of the world, in the fictional South American country of Tecala, are Alice (Ryan) and her husband, Peter Bowman (David Morse). She's an ex-hippie who is still trying to save the world, and he's an engineer working on a hydroelectric dam financed by a Houston oil company. The project is window dressing for the company's real interest in this underdeveloped country -- to build a pipeline and extract oil from the politically unstable republic. After a knock-down, drag-out fight that highlights the problems in their marriage, Peter leaves for work, and never gets there. He, and a number of others caught in a road block, are kidnapped by a local guerilla group. The oil company underwriting the project quickly washes its corporate hands of the situation, abandoning Peter and leaving Alice to fend for herself. Thorne, who is called off the project, returns to London. Yet he's haunted by Alice and her desperate situation, and returns on his own time to help her. As the negotiations drag on for months the two fall in love. ScandalThis compelling story written by Tony Gilroy, is smart, well crafted and gives all the main characters a strong emotional arch. The action cuts between Terry's efforts at negotiation and Peter's increasingly dire situation as a prisoner in a remote mountaintop camp. Pamela Reed and David Caruso give strong performances in supporting roles. Reed plays Peter's overprotective sister who arrives to give aid, but is utterly helpless in this strange and confusing country. Caruso portrays a fellow hostage negotiator who helps Thorne in his efforts to free the man whose wife he's fallen in love with. Which brings us to the scandal. Many people may go see this film because of the tabloid uproar over the real-life romance between the single Australian heartthrob and the very married Ryan, whose husband is actor Dennis Quaid. (Ryan and Quaid also met on a movie set, 1984's "Innerspace.") However, going to see this film out of voyeuristic urge to see these two fall in love on screen would be a disservice to the motion picture and the hundreds who worked on it. Yes, the two appear to be deeply in love, but so are their characters. It's called acting, folks. Director Hackford, who brought us "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982) and "Against All Odds" (1984), is back on track, and should be forgiven for "The Devil's Advocate" (1997), an abysmal piece of hyperbolic trash. "Proof of Life" is well directed, superbly acted, full of conflicting emotions and has subtle psychological shifts in loyalties. Its use of "K & R" experts provides a fresh twist in the genre of espionage and political thrillers. Plus, it's all set against breathtaking mountainous scenery on location in Ecuador. Pass the popcorn. "Proof of Life" opens nationwide on Friday. Rated R. 135 minutes. RELATED SITES: Proof of Life |
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'Proof of Life''s Russell Crowe
